Endure to the End
Glen Sears
Have you ever seen as much repetition in a chapter as found in the 136th Psalm? Repetition of a speaker is usually used for emphasis. Do you think God was trying to get a certain message across in this passage? The phrase, "for his mercy endureth for ever" occurs at the end of each of the 26 verses of Psalm 136. God's mercy endured through everything in the past, and will always endure. He wants us to endure as well, through the good times and the bad.
Paul spoke about running the race, in I Corinthians 9:24. He tells us to run the race of life, as if there was only one prize to be won. The way to win is first through Christ, as described in Matthew 11:28-30. If you go to Him, He will take away your burden and help you to endure through life. Not only must we love God with all of our heart, soul, and mind, but we also must love our neighbors (Matthew 22:37-40). We must love them if they are friend; we must love them if they are foe.
In the sermon on the mount, Jesus teaches us of loving everyone, as well as enduring through the good times and the bad. In Matthew 5:43-48(KJV), Jesus explains that it is easy to love those that love you. The challenge is found in loving your enemies who do not love you.
Christ also illustrates that the sun rises on the good and the evil, and rain falls on them both as well. He tells us that good things will happen in our lives as well as bad things, no matter who we are. It is how we demonstrate our patience and endurance in trying times that determines the strength and integrity of our own Christianity.
When times are great, it is very easy to endure and live for Christ. However, when the going gets rough, we must not let ourselves get down. We must remain steadfast and continuously let our light shine unto others to show them the way to Christ. To do this, we must have an open mind and an open heart. Paul gives us examples of how to work with others I Corinthians 9:20-22. To win others he became as a Jew, or as those without law, or as the weak. He did not sacrifice Gods standards, but perhaps his own personal gain. He did not have to "associate" with those type of people, but yet he did because he truly loved his friends and his foes. He cared for their souls, therefore he was not a mere bystander. Whether the situation was good or bad, Paul never gave up, but endured to the end. Never letting others stand in his way, he turned bad things into good.
We should model ourselves after Jesus and follow the examples of men like Paul. We must learn to endure to the very end and let nothing get in our way.
"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him." -James 1:12-
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Ottawa, KS